Psalms Reading – 2.18.2022
Psalm 52
For the director of music. A maskil of David. When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him: “David has gone to the house of Ahimelek.”
1 Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor.
3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue!
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2 You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor.
3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
4 You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue!
5 Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
he will uproot you from the land of the living.
6 The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying,
7 “Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold
but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
8 But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.
I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.
9 For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people.
And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.
David confronts a cruel enemy, Doeg the Edomite, who was one of King’s Saul’s shepherds. He cruelly massacred 85 priests, along with rest of the town, at King Saul’s order, because their leader Ahimelek had aided David (1 Sam 21:7; 22:6–23). Doeg practiced deceit which is far more than shading the truth now and then. It identifies a fraudulent, scheming person who loves and plots all manner of evil as in the mass murder in which he participated. He trusted in his great wealth thinking it would somehow save him rather than making God his source of strength.
This is the first in a sequence of psalms in which David’s enemies feature prominently and in which he finds himself crying out for help (Psalms 52–64). Several of these psalms are from before David became king while Saul was pursuing him.
David went through astounding difficulties and opposition after he was anointed to be king yet before he took the throne. David had done nothing wrong to deserve all of this. Yet God was able to use these experiences to prepare him, to refine him, to draw him closer, to create a total dependency on Him so that David might be a righteous king who would effectively lead the people in the way of the Lord.
David made it clear that Doeg’s life would end in great punishment for his unrepented evil. In contrast, David gives a picture of himself flourishing as an olive tree, which has an average lifespan of 500 years. He is in the house of God, in God’s presence and protection. He believes in and keeps on trusting in God’s unfailing love. He keeps on praising God for what He has done. His hope will be solely in the good name of the Lord.
In the midst of all our difficult life experiences, may we see ourselves as David saw himself, trusting, hoping, and flourishing in God’s presence allowing God to refine and transform us.
Memory Verse: Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Question(s) to Consider: Will you maintain faith and hope regardless of your difficult circumstances? Can you envision yourself flourishing in the presence and protection of God?